An extremely high incidence of leukoedema of the oral mucosa was found clinically in this study of 430 patients. Leukoedema on the buccal mucosa was clinically observed in 400 patients, and also on the labial mucosa in 131 patients. In most patients buccal involvement was bilateral. Intensity of the examination lamp proved to be a critical factor in the identification of mild forms of leuko edema. Because of the high incidence of leuko edema found in the study sample, the possibility that it is a variation of normal should be considered.